Can-lock.



*0. H. CAMPBELL.

CAN LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANoanAx-n COWWASHINOTON. n. c

CHARLES H. CAMPBELL, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAN-LOCK.

Specification of'Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Application filed June 2, 1911. Serial No. 630,871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CAMP- BELL, of Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved means for locking or sealing cans which are used for the shipment of merchandise.

The object is to provide an efficient lock which will positively secure the cover of the can in place at four separate points, and which can be sealed at one of these points in such a way as absolutely to prevent removal of the look at either this point or any of the other three points.

The invention is particularly applicable to that type of can known as a friction top can ordinarily made of sheet metal, of which the opening is closed by a cover of the type known as a plug cover also made of sheet metal and adapted to be set into the open mouth of the can and formed with a flange arranged to lie against the inner surface of the lip which surrounds the opening of the can.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the essential features of the invent-ion, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a can of the character indicated, having my improved. lock applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the can cover. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a part of the can body showing the open mouth thereof. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one member of the lock. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the second member of the lock and the sealing device therefor. Figs. 7 and 8 are views similar to- Figs. 5 and 6, respectively showing a modification of the locking means.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures. I

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the body of a can and 2 the cover thereof. The can body has an open mouth 3 surrounded by a lip 5 at the edge of which is formed a flange 6 for the double purpose of strengthening the can and guarding against injury to the hands of persons handling the can. In the form of can illustrated, the mouth is co-extensive with the transverse area of the can, the latter being entirely open at one end, and the lip 5 is simply one end the lateral Wall of the can. The inventlon is not hmited to a can of this particular fO-l'111, l1OW6V1, but applies ,as well to one having a reduced mouth in which the surround,

ing lip is set in from the side walls. Both the can body and its cover are made of sheet metal;

The cover 2 is enough smaller than the can mouth to fit within the same and to make contact on all sides with the inner surface of the lip 55. At its periphery a flange 7 is turned up and at the edge of such flange is an outwardly turned lip 8. This flange makes the cover in effect a hollow plug, of which the sides fit frictiontight in the mouth of the can body, and the lip 8 limits the extent to which the cover may be inserted.

To permit of locking the cover in the can I provide in the lip 15 and flange 7 registering slots 9, 10 respectively, of which there are preferably four of each spaced equal distances apart. That is, in both can and cover are two sets of holes, the members of either set being diametrically opposite to each other and spaced midway between the members of the other set. Thus in a cylindrical can the slots are 90 apart.

The lock consists of two members which may be wires, bars, rods, strips, tubes, etc., but are preferably of stout wire, as this material is best suited for my purpose, both from practical considerations and on account of its relatively slight cost. One of the locking members, as 11, is curved or bowed and the other member 12 is straight. The curved member is bent upon such an arothat it may lie within the flange of the cover flat against the bot-tom thereof. Its ends are bent sharply outward and are formed into eyes 11 and 11 The width of these eyes is less than the length of the slots 9 and 10, but greater than the width of such slots, and they are in the same plane with the curved or offset intermediate part of the member 11. Thus when the member ll'is placed in the plane of any two of the diametrically opposite registering slots 9 and 10, its ends may be sprung together sulficiently to permit the eyes to pass into the recess of the cover within the flange 8 and to be placed in line with the opposite slots 9 and 10. It should be noted that when the locking member assumes its normal form the eyes at its ends are separated by a distance very slightly more than the diameter of the can mouth. After being placed in the position described and upon being released, the bowed locking member resumes its normal shape and the eyes pass outward through the slots. Upon swinging the locking member into the plane of the cover the eyes are turned across the slots so that they cannot be withdrawn. It should be noted that the slots are preferably vertical, that is parallel to the axis of the can and perpendicular to the plane of the cover, or at least they are arranged at such an'angle to the plane of the cover that when the locking member is laid against the latter the eyes cross the slots and are prevented by engagement with the edges of the slots fro-1n being withdrawn. The slots 9 and 10 are preferably all of the same size, so that the cover may be correctly applied in any one of four positions, and so that the locking member may be inserted into any two of the opposite slots. The other member 12 is preferably, although not necessarily, straight, and has at one end an eye 12 and at the other end a loop 12*, which latter is in a plane perpendicular to that of the eye 12 The loop is sufficiently narrow to pass through any one of the slots 9 and 10, while the eye =12 may be too large to do so, although this last feature is not essential. The loop is formed by bending back one end of the locking member a. upon itself, and the end which is thus bent back is turned outward at 12 to such an extent that its length combined withthe diameter of the adjacent part of the member 12 is greater than the length of any of the slots. When the member 12 is in place, the eye 12 lies outside of the can and the loop 12 passes through one of the slots, the eye part of the loop being outside of the can and the end or stop 12 being inside of the cover flange. A look or seal 13 is attached to the loop 12*. This seal may be of any character, such the familiar lead and wire seal, consisting of a lead disk through which a wire staple 14 is passed, or'a padlock or anything else suitable for the purpose. The member 12 is placed over the offset part of the member 11 and prevents the latter from being swung into such a position that the eyes 11 and 11 may be withdrawn from the slots through which they are passed. The member 12 is prevented from being withdrawn in one direct-ion by the eye 12 and the stop 12, and in the other direction by the seal 13. It will be noted that the part of the member 12 which is carried back to form the eye 12 passes through the registering slots of the can and cover flanges and that as a consequence such turned back portion is so held by the material of the can itself as to prevent the eye being opened. In other words, it is impossible for persons to open the eye 12 by the use of pliers and withdraw the locking member 12, in order to have 'unde tected access to the contents of the can. Thus the material of the can is caused to serve as a guard or look against opening an eye-so formed by means of pliers and removing the locking member without destroying the seal. It will be seen that the cover of the can is thus locked in place at four points and that in order to make the lock secure a seal at only one of these points is necessary. When the seal is in place, it is impossible to displace the look at any of the locking points.

The precise form of the members 11 and 12 is not material and need not be that illustrated. It is suiiicient for the purpose of this invention if the member 11 is offset at such a point between its ends, and to such an extent, that when placed beneath the member 12 it cannot be turned far enough to bring the eyes 11 and 11 into that position wherein they can be withdrawn from the slots, and it is also suflicient if the member 12 is so made that when in place it will engage the ofiset part of the member 11 and retain it as described.

WVhen the member 12 is removed and the member 11 swung into an upright position, the latter may be used if desired as a bail by which the can may be carried.

It will be seen that the eyes on the ends of the locking members in effect widen the ends of such members. A similar effect may be obtained as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 by flattening such ends, and therefore I do not desire to limit myv invention only to that mode of widening the ends which consists in forming eyes thereon, or doubling back the extreme ends. It is also not essential that both eyes 11 and 11 .on the locking member 11 should be narrower than the length of the slots, or that such member be placed in position by drawing the ends together, placing them within the flange of the cover, and allowing them to spring out through the slots as previously described, for other modes of applying the member may be employed.

I claim,

1. The combination with a can and its cover, having overlapping rims provided with registering slots at an angle to the plane of the cover, of a locking device having ends so formed as to be passed through the slots when in one position and to be prevented from thus passing through when in another position, said member being offset between its ends and adapted to .lie against the cover, and a second locking device passing through slots intermediate those in which the first member is contained, and overlying the ofiset part of said first member, whereby the latter is prevented from being swung into such a position that its ends may be withdrawn from the containing slots.

2 The combination with a can and cover, the latter having a flange fitting within the lip of the can, and both having registering slots, of two locking members crossing one another and each passing at its ends through two of such slots, one of said members having an oifset part underlying the other member and being widened at the ends in the plane of said oflset part, and the slots being otherwise than parallel with the plane of the cover.

3. The combination with a can and its cover, having concentric overlapping'rims provided with slots, of a locking member extending across the cover and projecting at its ends through two of the slots, being offset between its ends, and a second locking device extending across the oflset part of the first device through another two of the slots, such slots being of greater length than width, and the ends of the first member being of greater width than the slots and extending across the same on the outside of the can.

4. In combination with a friction-top can having concentric lips or flanges on its body and cover, such flanges being provided with registering slots, a locking member having an offset central portion within the flange of the cover, and ends passing through certain of the slots and widened on the outside of the flanges to an extent greater than the width of the slots, the plane of such widened portion being transverse to the longest dimension of the slots when the offset part of the member lies within the cover flange, a second locking member crossing the offset part of the first member and extending through intermediate slots in the flanges, one end of said member being widened to prevent withdrawal inward, and a'seal attached to the opposite end of the said member on the outside of the flanges.

In testimony whereof I have aifixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. CAMPBELL.

WVitnesses:

,W. P. ABELL,

J M. MURPHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

